A sea of red flooded Platform 9 ¾ that day. The red cloaks looked more like an unlikely Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Bulgaria than a train depot. The Aurors were simply everywhere.

Minister Fudge and his toadies at the Daily Prophet were no longer able to deny the evidence regarding You Know Who's return. The wizarding world wanted protection and by Merlin, their elected officials had better give it to them. Fudge was going to have a hard enough time winning re-election, he had to act or commit political suicide.

By opening her home up to investigators, Elise Crabbe had revealed truths that hit the wizarding world like a full-on rogue Bludger. Her husband, Maximilian, had never been known for his subtlety… or his wit. In his journal he had left detailed information about times and places where Death Eater meetings had been. Severus had given a sigh of relief that the moron hadn't mentioned any names. It was easy for the Aurors to find the leftover traces of inconceivably Dark Magic that had been cast at these places. It was the same magical signature left after the last war. It was the Dark Lord's.

If Maximilian Crabbe was not already a dead man, he soon would be. Elise Crabbe was fully aware that if the wizarding authorities did not get their hands on her husband—the Dark Lord would.

The details behind her son's death were not fully disclosed because they were not fully known. What was known, however, was that Maximilian took Vincent to be introduced to the Dark Lord. It did not take too much speculation to surmise who was involved from there.

The usually energized atmosphere of Platform 9 ¾ was somewhat subdued. Children, who were normally hopping about the platform as if someone let loose a box of chocolate frogs, meeting with old friends after their summer holidays and generally causing havoc, were now clinging closely to their parents' sides, trying to garner any scrap of information from the hushed adult conversations. The adults were huddled together in little groups, whispering about the events that had come to light over the past couple of days.

The muted whispers going about weren't only about You Know Who. They were mostly about The Boy Who Lived and the Hogwarts Potions Master.

Severus Snape had claimed that he—not the sainted James Potter—was Harry Potter's real father.

Albus Dumbledore had called a press conference in Hogwarts Great Hall to break the news and, astonishingly, Harry Potter had started the necessary paperwork in order to legally change his name from "Harold James Potter" to "Harold Severus Snape."

Severus Snape's assertion would have been summarily dismissed as a hoax. But to the shock and dismay of most of Britain, the Paternity Charm had validated the former Death Eater's claims.

That wasn't the only breaking scandal. Apparently there was such a thing as a Former Death Eater, contrary to what had previously been believed by most. When a particularly acid tongued reporter, looking for some muck to rake, had asked Severus to bare his left arm as proof, Severus willingly obliged. It was said that the silence that overtook the Great Hall was deafening before the barrage of questions started to fly.

What was his relationship with Lily Potter? How was Harry taking the news? How did Snape hide his loyalties from You Know Who? How did Snape rid himself of the Dark Mark? Why reveal all of this now?

These questions and many more were asked. Only two were answered.

Severus and Lily had been engaged and she went into hiding when she became pregnant in an effort to keep Harry and Severus safe from You Know Who… and Harry was thrilled and honoured to be the son of Severus Snape.

And speaking of the Snapes…there they were…standing bold as brass on Platform 9¾ along with the Weasleys and a great black dog that was obviously Harry's pet. They were seemingly unconcerned with the stares and whispers going on about them. It was if Severus Snape was just another ordinary father seeing Harry, his ordinary son, off to school.

Either the wizard was more powerful than he had ever let on…or he was a suicidal fool. Severus Snape had been called many things in his life, but no had ever considered him the latter.

Weren't they even concerned about an attack from You Know Who? Why were they even there? Didn't they already live at Hogwarts?

No one dared approach them to ask any questions. Not after a young reporter was foolhardy enough to approach Harry in order ask questions as he and the professor arrived on the platform. From the way the girl ran off in a jag of tears…it was apparent that fatherhood had done nothing to soften Severus Snape's infamous scathing vitriol.

Unbeknownst to the general populace, the only reason Severus and Harry were at the station that morning was to stir the rumour mill—and it was working. It was their intention to have Death Eaters question Voldemort and the limits of his power. Well…that…and Harry wanted to ride the train with his friends.

Presently, Severus and Harry were waiting alongside the Weasleys. Harry knelt down with his arm around Snuffles whilst innocently chatting with his mates about what the new term held in store. Molly and Arthur were in the middle of their own conversation.

Severus just stood there, looking impassive. Even without his customary black outer teaching robes he looked as intimidating as ever. Hell—he was intimidating and he bloody-well knew it. If it looked as if he and his companions weren't concerned about a Death Eater attack at that moment, it was true…they weren't…for the moment.

There were several reasons Severus knew they were safe from Voldemort at this point in time. Primarily, there were nearly as many undercover Order members on the platform as there were Aurors.

And thanks to Elise Crabbe, Voldemort had been caught off guard at the Riddle Manor and actually had to flee.

That had been an unexpected little bonus. It was about time the bastard's hubris was brought down a notch or two.

According to Lucius' intelligence, Riddle was now holed up in the little town of Brading on the Isle of Wight, in an effort to regroup. Needless to say, the Dark Lord was…vexed. Lucius claimed that the Dark Lord's tumultuous display of anger had been awesome to behold. It was a temper tantrum worthy of a two-year-old who just had his favourite toy taken away.

Not only had the Dark Lord's favourite Death Eater betrayed him, Severus had miraculously found a way to counter the Mark, and to add insult to injury— he was Harry Bloody Potter's bloody father.

Unfortunately for Yaxley and Rolfe, they were in the closest proximity to the Dark Lord. They had been on the receiving end of some singularly nasty random curses. They were both dead now. Though the Dark Lord would never admit it, or perhaps it didn't even occur to him, the loss of those two particular Death Eaters was one he could ill afford—they were ruthless, they were loyal, and now they were dead.

Severus thought that it was just as well. Yaxley and Rolfe both had children who attended Durmstrang. Both wizards were as barmy as the Lestranges and were demented enough to willingly sacrifice their children to Voldemort. That was two fewer devotees to worry about and two more children who would live to see the sun rise again.

With any luck, the Order might have a month or so before things started getting ugly again. It would be time well spent planning strategy for when Voldemort made his next appearance. Already the first line of defence had been put in place for the children.

Severus scanned the platform. No mistake about it—there were Death Eaters about, but like the other parents, they were there to see their children off on the train. Even if Severus had not known most of them personally, they were easy enough to spot. One could not help but notice the unconcealed looks of loathing, curiosity, and sometimes the mixture of both, levelled at Severus and his teenaged son.

The Malfoys and the Goyles stood together. Gregory looked lost without his long-time companion- . Draco too, looked a little unsure himself. Perhaps he actually missed his little sycophant. Lucius deliberately avoided looking in Severus' direction whilst David Goyle could not stop glaring daggers at the traitor.

Severus looked about and casually observed other Death Eater families: the Notts, the Averys, the Gibbons, the Jugsons, the Bradstones, the Cootes, just to name a few. Some loyal to Voldemort, others not so much—however, Severus saw none whom he would consider mad enough sacrifice their children.

The relative silence on the platform was suddenly broken when the conductor cried out, "ALL ABOARD!"

Severus looked back to see Harry give his goodbye embraces to the elder Weasleys and an especially long embrace to his goddog.

Earlier that morning, Severus had explained to the mutt that he was taking an unnecessary risk seeing Harry off the platform with Ministry Aurors about. But Black was nothing if not dogged. Severus explained to him in little words that, as far as Severus was concerned, it was neither here nor there what risk Black put himself in. But if anyone were to suspect anything at all, Black would remain the mangy cur that he was. Severus would Obliviate Black's memory and claim that "Snuffles" was nothing more than a stray that Harry had picked up from off the streets. That bit of offered charity was for Harry's sake; if it were simply left up to Severus' sensibilities, he'd just as well see Black to the dog warden.

When Harry had finished saying his goodbyes to the others he walked to Severus and stood proudly before him.

"Are you sure that you would rather ride the train, Harry?" Severus asked as he brushed an errant hair out of his son's face. Harry had not bothered to get his hair cut before term. It was starting to grow down his neck and past his cheeks. "We can just as easily Apparate to the front gates," Severus offered.

"No, that's alright…I want to ride with my friends. Sorta a tradition, you know," Harry added with a sheepish shrug.

Hearing this heartened Severus. The boy had come such a long way over the course of the summer.

"Besides," Harry continued, "I don't want the other kids to think that I have something to hide or that I am ashamed of being your son."

As much as Severus would have liked to embrace his son at that moment, he kept his arms crossed in a determined effort to resist the temptation. He would never feel comfortable with public displays of affection. He simply nodded and said, "If you need anything, Shacklebolt and Tonks will be close at hand."

"I know," Harry said, "and I promise to behave myself."

Severus knew what Harry meant by that. Harry was not to approach Draco or any other Death Eater children until they were safely ensconced behind the castle walls.

"I will hold you to that," Severus said gravely.

Severus patted Harry on the shoulder, then said, "You had better run along now. Your friends are waiting, and if you don't hurry, there will be no more empty compartments." It was important that they have a private compartment. Severus knew that the friends would be discussing Harry's mission.

Rather than let Harry's friends run around and get into trouble on their own in an effort to find out what Harry was up to—because they surely would—Severus allowed Harry to enlighten them on the situation, with the clear understanding that this was not to be discussed with or within the earshot, of anyone else, including the Weasley siblings. It wasn't as if Harry was going to keep this secret from his little friends, as it was. But Severus knew that Weasley and Granger were loyal and more reliable with Harry's secrets than many adults in the Order would be. By allowing Harry to keep his friends in the know, he would give the boy a sense of control, which was something Harry sorely needed right now.

Harry looked over his shoulder to see his friends waiting for him before they boarded. "Thanks," he said with a smile as he ran off to join them.

"I'll see you at school, Dad!" Harry yelled as he boarded the train. Time seemed to stand still as the crowd on the platform seemed to freeze and turn their attention to Severus. Severus showed them all the concern they deserved—none.

It wasn't long before all of the students had boarded and the giant crimson engine began to heave and huff its way out of the station through a curtain of white steam. Children hung out the windows, shouting and waving to their families as the train slowly chugged its way by.

Severus caught sight of Harry and his friends; they too were leaning out the windows and waving frantically like all of the other excited children. Severus could not hear Harry over the chatter and the clanging of steel on steel, or the puffing of the steam engine, but he could see Harry's lips move as he shouted "Bye, Dad."

Severus did not call back, but he did raise his arm to wave goodbye. His insides began to twist and he felt as if something was pulling on his heart as he watched the train take his son away.

Suddenly, Severus felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was Arthur Weasley. "Don't worry yourself, Severus," Arthur said as he, too, sadly watched the train roll by. "You never get used to it."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Platform 9¾ finally vanished into the distance, Harry, Ron and Hermione settled back into their compartment. With Aurors on board the train, there was no need for Ron and Hermione to start their Prefect duties until they reached Hogsmeade.

Hermione sat down next to her bandy-legged ginger cat, Crookshanks, who was presently taking a keen interest in Ron's little scops owl, Pigwidgeon.

"Keep your ruddy cat away from Pig, Hermione," Ron warned as he tried to catch the overly excitable little bird. Ron hadn't locked his cage properly and the little owl was zipping around the cabin.

Harry eyed the fluttering little owl. With skilled honed by four years as a Quidditch Seeker, Harry adroitly snatched the little bird in mid-flight. "There you are Ron," said Harry as he stroked Pig's feathers in an effort to calm him. "No harm done," he assured as he handed Ron the squirming bird.

"Thanks, Harry," said Ron as he made sure Pig's cage was secure this time. "Harry…how are you going to go about telling the Slytherins?"

"Telling the Slytherins what, Ron?" Harry asked.

"About the potion, Harry," Hermione whispered, casting her eyes about though there was no one else to hear. "How are you going to approach them about their parents?"

"Hold on a moment," Harry said. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the compartment door. "Muffliato."

Harry couldn't risk anyone listening in on their conversation and he used the handy spell his dad had taught him just the night before.

"Well to begin with," Harry said in a near whisper despite the spell, "not everybody is in Slytherin."

"What?" Ron exclaimed in disbelief as he fed Pig an owl treat. "My Uncle Bilius told me that all Death Eaters came from Slytherin."

Harry nodded solemnly. "Hagrid told me something like that my first year." Thinking back, Harry really wished his giant friend hadn't said anything on the matter. It was that fact alone, even more than not wanting to associate with the likes of Draco Malfoy, that made Harry convince the Sorting Hat not to put him in Slytherin. Would his dad have treated him differently? Would they have discovered their relationship sooner? Harry lamented the wasted years.

"Well come to think about it, that is a little ridiculous," said Hermione after she thought about her own presumption. "After all—Peter Pettigrew was in Gryffindor."

"I suppose there's an exception to every rule," Ron said grudgingly.

"It isn't an exception and there are no rules, Ron," Harry explained, slightly exasperated. "Every House has students that have Death Eater parents."

"That can't be right, Harry," Ron said, scandalized. "Surely there's no one in Gryffindor who is a Death Eater."

"None of the students are Death Eaters, Ron—just their parents." Hermione said sensibly.

"Hermione's right, Ron. We can't go around blaming kids for what their mum and dad might be doing—and yes—there are some families in Gryffindor." Harry told them. "The rub is that not everybody knows that their dads or mums are Death Eaters. I don't know if I can get them all to believe me."

"You know, Harry…perhaps you don't need to tell everyone," Ron suggested, even though he was still trying come to grips with the notion that there were Gryffindor Death Eaters. "Maybe you only need one or two to believe you."

"How do you mean, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I figure that if their parents know each other, there's a good chance that the kids do. I know quite few whose parents work for the Ministry. You know—dinner parties and such. Find someone who has a lot of social contacts and go from there. Let it get out through the tomato vine."

Harry snorted and Hermione chuckled when she said, "That's grapevine, Ronald."

Ron just shrugged, apparently figuring he was close enough.

Harry always knew Ron had a gift for strategy. That's why he was practically unbeatable in Wizard's Chess. "Well…I was already planning on enlisting Malfoy's help," Harry admitted.

Hermione asked, "Doesn't Draco already know, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Mr Malfoy couldn't risk Draco saying something before he was safe behind Hogwarts' walls."

It was ironic, but now that Lucius Malfoy was a spy, he could not have his Dark Mark removed. Mr Malfoy could not risk that Voldemort might break through his Occlumency shields and force him to present Draco. As much as Harry disliked Draco and as distasteful as the thought of an alliance with any Malfoy was to him, Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for his rival.

Harry was suddenly brought out of his musings over the Malfoys when he noticed, with great irritation, that there were many more students passing by their compartment than there normally would be. Some even had the audacity to look in the window. He was sure that it would only be a matter of time before someone came barging in.

Harry said soberly, "You know guys…I think we need to end this conversation."

"You know why they're doing that, don't you, Harry?"

"Let's see, Ron. It wouldn't have anything to do with Professor Snape being my dad, would it?" Harry snapped unintentionally. Harry thought he would have been over the overt stares of strangers by now, but it was still something he didn't think he would ever get quite used to and it honestly set his teeth on edge.

Ron looked a little taken aback by Harry's biting remark and said in his defence, "Well, it's not just that, Harry."

"You do look quite a bit like the Professor now," Hermione elaborated on Ron's behalf and Ron gave her a thankful look.

"Really?" Harry asked as he felt his face. He knew he looked more like his dad, but he had gradually gotten used to the face he now saw in the mirror, as though it had always been himself. There was still enough of James Potter left that he was still recognizable. But most of his classmates were seeing his new face for the first time. The difference must have been striking.

"Well, your hair started growing…maybe it brings out more of your 'Snape-ish' features." Ron said, apparently thinking it was a sound theory.

Hermione chuckled, "Ronald, that's just plain silly. Harry's hair didn't just start growing because Professor Snape has long hair. He just hasn't had a haircut this summer."

Ron just rolled his eyes. "I know that, Hermione. I just said it made him look like his dad. Hopefully greasy hair isn't hereditary, though," snorted Ron as he tried to suppress his laughter.

Harry couldn't help but smile, even though the joke was at his dad's expense. "Geeze, Ron, thanks a lot. You know, I'd hate to see what that ginger mop of yours would look like if you spent as much time in a potions lab."

"No worry in that—is there, mate?" Ron continued to snicker.

The light-hearted mood of the three friends abruptly melted away when Hermione's face dropped and her attention turned to the window. "Where did everybody go?"

The mass of humanity that was once outside the compartment had now dispersed, but the answer as to why became abundantly clear when Kingsley Shacklebolt approached their compartment and let himself in without knocking first.

"Are you kids alright in here?" It was no wonder the throng outside of Harry's window vanished. Between his commanding voice and his immense stature, Kingsley Shacklebolt looked every bit as foreboding as Severus Snape did in the classroom.

"I'm alright. Do you lot need anything?" Harry turned and asked his friends.

"I haven't seen the food trolley yet," Ron said as he absently rubbed his stomach.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry knew it was because Ron's first thoughts were almost always of food, and it was a point of contention between his two best mates. "No thank you, Mr Shacklebolt, I'm fine. But I do think I'll head to the lavatory now that the crowd is gone. I'd like to change into my robes."

"Wait until I can get Tonks to escort you, Miss Granger—and I'll see that the food trolley makes its way down here, Mr Weasley," Shacklebolt said as he flashed an amused smile at Ron, then left the compartment as quickly and quietly as he came. No sooner had he gone than it seemed as if the students popped out of the woodwork once more and began to find their way by the trio's cabin.

Hermione reached up to the overhead storage compartment to retrieve her rucksack. "Why are you changing now?" asked Ron, slightly miffed. "We won't even arrive for some hours yet."

"I want to change before there's a rush on the loo later," Hermione said sensibly.

Hermione apparently had forgotten that she was supposed to wait for Tonks, for she reached for the sliding door. She jumped back with alarm when the marked, yet out of place, sound of Apparition caught her off-guard.

The cries of terrified students rang through the passenger car as curses and running children flew by the compartment.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione immediately drew their wands and Ron and Hermione had instinctively flanked Harry. Ron faced the door, while Hermione kept watch for anyone that might impossibly come through the window or Apparate directly into the cabin behind them.

"What the bloody hell was that!" Ron cried. He was shaking slightly from fear, but the determination in voice to protect Harry was equally clear.

The fidelity of his friends would have made Harry's heart swell with pride, if he hadn't realised how much their lives had turned pear-shaped because of him. They had sacrificed normal lives for the sake of Harry and Harry could never make it up to them, even if he lived to be even older than Dumbledore.

Hermione answered shakily, "I…I don't know!" Harry knew that she was scared too, but, like Ron, would die before she let Harry be taken. Harry would happily do the same for his friends without a second thought.

Harry's nerves were slightly more steeled than his friends as he yelled over the din of the chaos floating through the thin walls and windows. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear it sounded like somebody Apparated."

"Who would be thick enough to Apparate onto a moving train?" Ron asked.

But as quickly as the chaos started, the train became deathly quiet. Harry and his friends looked about liked frightened hares wondering where the foxes would finally emerge.

He hoped that the Aurors had the situation under control. Harry, Ron and Hermione breathed a collective sigh of relief when that was apparently the case as a young, yet stern, female voice cut the unnatural silence.

"EVERYBODY! BACK TO YOUR CABINS NOW!"

As the scramble began for the students to return to their respective cars, Tonks slid open the compartment door. "Harry! Ron, Hermione! Are you three alright?" The young Auror's hair was as red as a fire engine and she had a deep, bloody gash on her left shoulder.

"Yeah…we're all fine," Harry said as they lowered their wands and Ron stepped aside to let him step forward. "But what about you? What happened?"

Tonks shut the cabin door and cast a spell that Harry didn't recognise.

"We don't want anyone to walk in uninvited," she explained, then turned back soberly to Harry and his friends. "Death Eaters—two of them," Tonks said directly to the point as she placed her wand back into her arm sheath. "And don't worry about this" she said, quickly pointing to her bloody shoulder. "It looks worse than it is."

"Spoken like a true hero," Harry said cynically. "I thought we had Voldemort on the defensive." He instantly suspected Lucius Malfoy. Had he somehow found a way to fool Harry's dad and the Headmaster? It wasn't impossible. Snape had managed to fool Voldemort and his followers for years.

Tonks shook her head. "This looks like it was an unauthorized attack, Harry" she told him. "There were only two, and one of them is dead."

"Dead!" Hermione gasped. Ron pulled her close to and mumbled something into her ear that Harry didn't catch.

"He was splinched," Tonks said as she shuddered. Harry shuddered too, just imagining the grisly sight. "The other managed a couple of curses before we brought her down."

Hermione asked with even more heightened concern, "Are the students alright?"

Tonks' hair had changed into the dark shade of azure she had previously been sporting that day. "Daphne Greengrass was Stunned, but she'll be fine," the Auror said.

"Who were the Death Eaters?" Harry wanted to know. It might give him an idea as to which students he could approach. He looked out the window as Kingsley Shacklebolt and three other Aurors dragged a kicking and screaming dark-skinned witch past their compartment.

"WHERE IS THE TRAITOR'S SON? THE DARK LORD WILL HAVE YOU, HARRY SNAPE!" she screamed manically as she was dragged forcibly into the next passenger car.

"And I suppose that answers my next question about who they were after?"

"That was Nicolette Stebbins. The corpse is Patrick Stimpson," Tonks said in a businesslike tone. "And yes, Harry…you were the target," she said, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Oh, no," Hermione moaned, unable to keep back her tears, "Not Patty's dad. Patty Stimpson is my study partner for Ancient Runes."

"And isn't there a Stebbins on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team?" Ron asked.

That old twinge of guilt began to rise up in Harry. He should have just taken up his father's offer and Apparated back to Hogwarts.

But nooo…Harry wanted to ride the train with his friends…Harry wanted to be normal…and look what happened. One girl had just lost her father and another boy was going to lose his mother to Azkaban. Not only that, Harry's very presence had put everybody on the train in danger.

"Tonks—stop the train. My being here is putting everyone in danger. You can Apparate me back to Hogwarts."

Tonks shook her head. "No can do, kiddo. There is no way we're stopping the train. That would leave us even more vulnerable to an attack."

Tonks' explanation did nothing ease Harry's worry. If anything, it heightened it. "I thought that you said that the attack was unauthorized."

"It was. And they did a sloppy job of it too," She looked at Harry, her eyes softened with understanding. "Harry…you aren't to blame for this."

Harry asked bitterly, "Oh really? Then who is?"

"Nicolette Stebbins and Patrick Stimpson, that's who," Tonks answered bluntly. "They're the ones who were foolish enough to try to Apparate onto a moving train…with a dozen Aurors aboard, no less. Not only that—they risked hurting their own kids just so they could get their hands on you. If you ask me, they got what they deserved," she said coldly.

"True enough," agreed Harry half-heartedly, "But what about Hermione's friend and that poor bloke from Hufflepuff?"

This time Ron spoke up, "That doesn't change the fact that it's still their fault, mate. Those people chose to become Death Eaters, and now they're paying the price. It's not your fault that they're too selfish to care about their families."

"Besides, Harry," Hermione added as she wiped a sniffle with her handkerchief, still upset that her friend was about to find out that her dad was not only killed, but was a Death Eater. "You can't stand up to You Know Who just to turn around and hide from life. Don't go hiding yourself away again just because you think it will keep the attacks from coming…because it won't."

"Harry, although we thought it unlikely, we were aware of the possibility of an attack, and we got them before any real harm was done," Tonks said as she took Harry's hand and began to pat it. "And Hermione's right. Don't hide yourself away. For the first time ever we've got You Know Who on the run and many of his followers are beginning to rethink their loyalties, while others are panicked into making stupid mistakes."

Harry gave a reluctant nod. He knew that they were right. It still didn't make him feel better. Harry was just having trouble stomaching the fact that there would be innocent victims amongst his classmates.

"You know girls, I hate to burst the bubble on this little pep talk," Ron interjected, "but what Harry has to say about going out in public might not matter much anymore."

Harry looked up at his friend, and felt his face wrinkle in curiosity, but it was Hermione who asked, "Why do you say that, Ron?"

"Because Professor Snape's going to have Kneazles when he hears about this."